Tallinn is the capital city of Estonia. It was founded in 1154 A.D. and is apparently one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe.

The small nation has been conquered and ruled by Teutonic Knights, Polish princes and Russian Tsars. For 51 years, Estonia remained a pawn in the Soviet empire, until the freedom movement led to independence for the Baltic Republics in 1991. Estonia maintains its ties to the Western tradition, retaining the Latin alphabet and Catholic and Protestant faiths.

Estonia has built strong technology skills. Skype was invented here and all citizens have a "right" to free internet access.

We didn't bother with an organised tour at US$90 each: we thought we'd just do it ourselves. We caught a taxi to Upper Old Town at Toompea Hill for about $18 and walked down through the maze of cobbled streets back through Lower Old Town to the ship. We spent about 4 hours sightseeing, stopping in the Town Square for tea and free internet. We saw all the same sights, plus a few more. Much better value.

We visited the UNESCO heritage site of old Tallinn. This included Nevsky Cathedral, Toompea Castle, St Mary's Cathedral, Palace Square, Catherine's Walk (with medieval tombstones attached to the wall), Town Square, Danish Royal Garden, medieval city walls, Old Dominican Monastery and Tallinn Museum. We also had beautiful panoramic views of the city.